Moon Snare
by Ladelle
Summary: Sasuke is swept into a world he wasn't meant to know existed when his brother disappears, literally throwing him to the wolves. Now Sasuke's got to learn how to be what he's become...while Naruto struggles to protect what's his. AU Naru/Sasu
1. Chapter 1

**Moon Snare**

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Author: **Ladelle

**Rating:** T-M

**Comments:** I've had the first couple chapters of this written for a while and my roommate wanted it posted as a Christmas present. So...ta-dah! LoL. Happy holidays to everyone, and the best of wishes for a wonderful and blessed new year.

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"Tell me the story again," the young boy settled his chin on his brother's knee and stared up with dark and intent eyes. A fire snapped and threw sparks behind him, and the warmth had caused a flush to rise to the apples of his pale-pallored cheeks.

The older brother looked tired and worn. Dark circles clung to his eyes and his lips were dappled with patches of bright red, tiny slivers that had dried, cracked, and bled. It took him a moment to smile, and then he combed his fingers through his sibling's tousled hair.

"It's a legend. An old tale about two wolves. Do you remember how it starts, Sasuke?"

The young boy nodded vigorously and stared past his brother, as if his imagination was pulling forth the words that left his lips. "A fight is going on inside of me…a terrible fight between two wolves."

"One is good, made of happiness, hope, and love." The older brother looked to be gazing into the distance as well, and his tone fell. "The other is evil, full of anger, regret, and sorrow."

Little Sasuke tugged at a crinkle in his older brother's pants until their eyes met once again. "But which one will win the fight, Itachi?"

Silence sat like an unwelcomed guest before Sasuke's older brother finally responded. "The one you choose to feed, Sasuke. The one you choose to feed."

**Chapter One**

**Wolves**

The classroom had been released nearly an hour ago, but still Sasuke sat, hands curled over his ears, sweat clinging to the pale flesh of his forehead. He could still hear the distant echo of chalk scraping against the aged blackboard near the front of the room and smell the powdery residue it left behind. Hunching further over his desk, Sasuke panted, each exhalation casting a circle of condensation on the dark wood surface of his desk.

"Did you hear? They're going to be in the town tonight." A group of girls had stayed behind to study together, and even though they were whispering, from across the room, Sasuke heard them quite clearly.

"Did your father tell you that, Sakura?"

The girl that had first spoken, the spitfire daughter of the town's police captain, grinned.

"Yeah. He said they're gonna catch the killer tonight. The one who's been mauling the fishermen and eating them alive."

Sasuke remembered the images from the morning post, bloodied bodies mangled by the docks as if ravaged by wild animals. Since the town's animals were limited to livestock and hounds, it meant the deaths could only be murder.

"I heard that two pier workers were killed last night from _my_ father," interrupted another girl, obviously eager to tell what she had been told. "He said it was the Outsiders. He said there'll be another death tonight, and then we'll know it's them for sure."

Sakura sounded vaguely irritated. "The Outsiders are coming tonight to catch the killer."

Sasuke sank lower to his desk. Their words were too loud, even though they were seated so far away and chatting quietly. Two weeks ago, anything involving the Outsiders would have interested Sasuke as much as any other student. But now, he was too troubled to care.

"Just watch," the second girl jeered. "They'll come into town tonight and two _more_ people will end up bloodied and dead. Then we'll know it's them."

"Watch what you say," Sakura hissed, her voice snippy. "If the adults hear you making those types of accusations, you'll be in trouble for sure."

Sasuke snorted, but moreso because his nose was starting to run and his throat had gone dry. What Sakura had said was true. The Outsiders protected the town, but were shrouded in secrecy. The police remained in distant contact with them, but no one dared question the relationship. For the most part, the townspeople pretended as though the Outsiders didn't exist, except for the youngsters whom hadn't quite grown out of the curiosity.

Of the three girls circled and chatting, the third one finally spoke. "Why is Sasuke still here?"

Sasuke could feel their eyes on him, analyzing, breaking him down. A chill raced up his spine and he shivered even though sweat melded his shirt to his skin.

"He's been sick; I heard the teacher talking with one of the parents," Sakura said solemnly. She sounded concerned. "Apparently his brother—"

"Shh, he'll hear you," the second girl chastised. "I heard he yelled at the principal the other day. They say he was ranting on and on about wolves—"

"Don't help to spread those nasty rumors," Sakura interrupted.

Cringing, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to listen anymore. After all, they weren't rumors. The images had haunted him like a living, breathing nightmare and no one seemed to believe him. He hardly believed himself.

Sasuke lurched upwards, gripping the desk while he struggled to stabilize himself. His feet staggered to find footing because the room felt like it was spinning. He leaned down, summoning as much balance as he could manage, and grabbed his satchel from the floor. He tried to jam his pencil and notebook inside, but his pencil missed and skittered across the floor. He didn't bother going after it.

"Maybe I should offer to walk him home…" Sakura's voice was clearly addled with worry, and the second girl hissed.

"So unlike a lady, to approach a _boy_ that way…"

Sasuke ignored the both of them and made his way to the door, and after a period of time, eventually ended up outside. He leaned against the brick mortar of his school building and huffed a few times. He wasn't sure what to do. His body was filled to the brim with pure energy, but couldn't handle the overload. He would collapse at any moment.

How long had it been since he had been normal?

Two weeks.

Sasuke had been like this for two weeks, and it had only gotten worse as the days progressed. At first, he had just felt numb. The wounds had hurt and he had treated them, but even after the marks had disappeared, his body ached. He could hear whispers and see the quickest of movements.

And he as hot. Always hot. His shirt, even now, on a winter day with clouded skies and an icy breeze, he felt like he was being scalded by an invisible heat. His feet tingled as though they had fallen asleep, and the tips of his fingers felt unusually sensitive. He choked down a swallow and stumbled against a wall, wondering, for the umpteenth time, if he had rabies.

A dog growled and it broke Sasuke from his thoughts. His attention snapped up and he saw it, a gritty canine that one of the market owners most likely owned, slobbering over a huge chunk of red meat. Another dog had appeared, and Sasuke heard the danger in their fierce growls.

It was a battle of dominance. A battle for the tenderloin hanging from pointed teeth, red and dripping with blood. Sasuke licked his lips and stepped backwards, not recognizing himself in his reaction.

The dogs circled each other, and at once, flew together.

Sasuke felt his heartbeat speed up. Normally, he would have run. Even kept dogs in the town could be dangerous, though not hazardous enough to account for the killings by the pier. But Sasuke didn't feel fear.

He felt excitement.

He could feel blood pulsing through his veins and he was breathing heavily through his nose and mouth, his fingers clenching to fists as he watched the dogs tear at each other, their lips pulled back and their eyes feral.

Sasuke felt himself lowering to the ground until his hands settled on the pavement. He knew where he'd attack—right below the neck. Then he would swipe at the other dog's chest, and wouldn't stop until he could see and taste the blood. He could gnaw on a leg, make it so the other pup wouldn't be able to chase him—wouldn't be able to walk. He could—

Sasuke jumped up and fumbled into the darkness of an alleyway next to him, clutching his head while tears flooded his vision and his breathing once again was reduced to painful pants.

What had he been thinking? That he was a dog? A common animal, ready to fight over a bloody slab of steak?

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his stomach and cursed his brother. If he hadn't followed Itachi—if he had stayed put, and not been so worried, this wouldn't have happened.

And now Itachi was gone and Sasuke was left all alone, wondering if he was going mad.

Night settled over the town too quickly for Sasuke, and as the mice began to pool from the darkest places, Sasuke still sat huddled in the alleyway, wide awake and too aware.

He had tried to sleep, but every noise was unbearably loud. The sounds of the street wagons pummeling over cobblestone, the chatter of passerbys, even the gentle ringing of chimes hanging above shop doors. Sasuke stared vacantly at the dirtied wall before him until a bright light made him nearly bark.

"Oi, what're you, a student? You best be getting home." Attached to the flashlight blinding Sasuke was an officer, and he was patrolling. When Sasuke didn't move, he spoke again. "It's past curfew. Where do you live?"

Sasuke decided that he couldn't return home with a police escort so he struggled to stand and slapped away the older man's hand as it attempted to steady him. The man backed up a couple of steps and held his hands up defensively, appearing surprised by Sasuke's aggressiveness.

"Can you make it home on your own?" The officer asked with a bit more caution.

Sasuke didn't answer the question, only sauntered past, running his hand along the wall of the building to help keep his balance. He could feel the officer watching him.

Sasuke's eyes roamed to the sky and he saw the moon, not quite whole as clouds attempted to swallow it. His skin was crawling again and he felt his lips drawing back, all before he struggled to regain some semblance of composure.

He turned to look over his shoulder. The police officer was gone.

But he heard voices.

He stopped trudging along and sat down on the second step leading up to the town's library, wondering if the voices were in his head.

"Come on, mom! This is _booooooooring_," a voice drawled. Sasuke heard footsteps and lifted his head when he caught two figures in his peripheral vision, both walking towards him. It took Sasuke seconds to realize that walking wasn't the correct description; it was more like they were prowling.

For a moment, Sasuke sat, frozen in place. The aura that rose from the duo was nearly crushing. Without knowing why he felt it, Sasuke wanted to cower or run. They were coming closer however, and he couldn't bring himself to move.

"Is that a boy?"

Sasuke saw the woman more clearly now. She was unearthly beautiful. The street lamps cast a yellow glint on her fair skin, and unnaturally long auburn hair spilled over her shoulders like tamed spring grasses over a supple hillside.

Sasuke's breath caught in is throat when she stopped in front of him. The boy beside her followed in suit, looking devilishly curious as to what they had stumbled upon. Sasuke realized that the boy was most likely around his age.

"Isn't he too young to be wandering around at night?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

The tone of his voice was raw, and the sound of it sent Sasuke's skin tingling with an unknown attraction. His muscles tightened and his legs clamped together as the strange boy stared at him with bright eyes that rivaled the lightest blue Sasuke had ever seen. Hair as gold as farmhouse straw framed a young and angular face and the boy's skin was the color of caramel cream against the amaretto backlighting of the street lanterns.

"What are you doing out past curfew, boy?" The woman asked curiously. Sasuke glanced between the woman and her son, his voice caught in his throat.

They're not normal, he thought. But strangely, they were familiar. His gut twisted and he felt it wrench with heat. He gasped and buried his head in his hands, wishing the uneasiness away.

"Naruto, watch him. I am going to find a human." The woman ordered. Soon after, she disappeared around the closet street corner.

Sasuke felt chilled. A human? He peeked up at Naruto, who looked irritated. Did that mean that these two were Outsiders?

"You sick or something?" Naruto asked, and he pressed a hand to Sasuke's forehead, right before yanking it back. "Whoa, you're on fire!"

Sasuke didn't need someone to tell him that. He felt it. He pulled himself to his feet and started down the street again, dreading the idea of being escorted home by the beings he knew nothing about. Just the way the boy looked at him made Sasuke feel inebriated by nameless sensations.

"You probably shouldn't be wandering around alone," Naruto recommended with casual concern. When Sasuke glanced back at him, he saw that the strangely beautiful boy had pulled his arms back behind his head. He looked smug. "There's something nasty in town."

Sasuke frowned, felt another wave of _something_ come over him, and then abruptly spun around. He walked a few steps towards Naruto, the feeling getting thicker within him, like syrup. He could feel the excitement balling up as he reached forward to touch the blond haired boy, but before he could make contact, the Outsider caught his wrist.

Naruto expression was playful, but also calculating. "Ah, ah. No touching."

"You smell different," Sasuke said breathily and he inhaled the earthy scent of the boy in front of him. He could feel his breathing grow shaky and he tilted his head forward, trying to get closer to the thick and alluring aroma.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, looking less playful as he suddenly stiffened. "Who are you?"

Sasuke couldn't answer. The feeling was overwhelming. He felt his body reacting before his mind could keep up, his blood pounding through his veins, his abdomen filling with butterflies, and his fingers trembling.

"Oi, I asked you a question. What's your name?" Naruto didn't like being ignored, it seemed.

"Sasuke," he breathed, leaning closer to Naruto. He was still sniffing, wondering how a person could smell so wonderful. He licked his lips. "I want to…bite you…"

Sasuke didn't get the chance to, even though his lips had curled up and exposed his teeth to the midnight air. Naruto's reflexes were fast, and in moments Sasuke's back was pulled against the other boy's torso and he was held there, restrained and unable to move.

"_Mom_!" Naruto whined. "This one's crazy!"

Sasuke tried to wiggle free, but between his delirium and Naruto's dominance, he felt immobile. The feeling was forcing out a plethora of thoughts, including his last memory of his brother, crying out to the moon before a savage animal took his place.

"He was a wolf…a _wolf_…" Sasuke whispered and he sighed heavily, panting as his fever threatened to suffocate him. He clenched his eyes closed and struggled to repress the unknown urge stifling his sanity.

Naruto paused in calling out to his mother before glancing down, his expression suddenly serious. "What?"

The grip on Sasuke loosened and he was sure he looked panicked; wide-eyed and losing control. He took advantage and tore himself away from the Outsider, darting off as fast as his legs could carry him. The humanity he felt bubbling beneath the surface of his fury was demanding for him to find someplace safe; someplace where he could be alone and terrorize no one but himself.

Footsteps echoed behind him, but the pounding of his heart was louder. He spun around a corner, his skin feeling like it was burning. His eyes were watering and he could feel his spit beginning to gather at the corners of his mouth as he sucked in ample breaths of air.

A familiar smell stung his nose, a delicate perfume that now seemed like a stuffy wave. He slammed into the source of the fragrance, a young girl, and she collapsed onto the ground below him.

Sasuke paused and stared down at her. She had cut her hand on the cobblestone below; he could smell the blood. His mouth hung open and he traced her flesh with his eyes, until he saw her face. It was familiar, angelic and feminine, with a thin nose and worried eyes. Normally he would have been irritated by Sakura Haruno's concerned expressions, but now, her reaction to him was fascinating. Especially when he watched the puddle of blood form beneath her slender fingers with appeal.

Sakura's expression turned to fear within a split second, and Sasuke wondered if his face showed his intentions. She didn't look like his classmate any longer. She simply looked like meat. He stepped forward and she edged back, and behind her a figure landed, having jumped down from the rooftop above.

"Oi." It was Naruto and he was standing with an air of superiority that made Sasuke's insanity retreat slightly. The Outsider glanced down to Sakura and then back to Sasuke. Whatever expression he saw on Sasuke's face made him frown.

"Sasuke. Play with me instead."

It was a tempting offer. Blue eyes stared straight through him and Sasuke felt the challenge in the stranger's tone. It aggravated Sasuke enough for his pent up energy to return, fueled by pride to take up the offer. He looked down to Sakura and felt drool drip off his chin, and saw her shaking. It made him excited, like closing in on prey, those last moments before-

His classmate was blocked from view as Naruto stepped in front of her. He crouched slightly, trying to steal Sasuke's attention. That alone couldn't distract Sasuke from Sakura's quivering form and the fear causing tears to flood her cheeks. So Naruto snapped his fingers, the sound finally drawing Sasuke's eyes to meet his own, and made a husky demand. "Me."

The hair on Sasuke's arms stood straight and he felt his blood boil with excitement. On some level, Sasuke understood. The girl wasn't to be touched unless he could get through Naruto first. So Sasuke lunged at him. Naruto deftly avoided the clumsy attack and jogged ahead, glancing over his shoulder briefly as if to make sure that Sasuke would follow. Sasuke didn't hesitate. They ran for a distance, until Sasuke dodged forward and took a swipe at Naruto's side, growling tersely when Naruto spun out of his reach. They both took a second to get their footing, and Naruto cocked his head back.

"There you go. I'm much more fun, right?" He slid his foot across the pavement below, lowering himself closer to the ground, not once losing sight of Sasuke's eyes. He looked like an animal, slouched forward just barely, relaxed enough to take whatever Sasuke would throw at him next. He raised an eyebrow when Sasuke started panting.

"You gonna turn?" Naruto asked, grinning.

Sasuke charged again, swinging his arms wildly. Naruto was good at evading, though one of Sasuke's jabs did hit its mark. Naruto huffed and let out an animalistic grunt before grabbing both of Sasuke's wrists and dragging him forward enough so that he would lose his balance. As Sasuke struggled in his new and uncomfortable position, Naruto watched him in confusion, and decided to egg him on.

"What? All bark and no bite? Turn already."

Sasuke bristled and felt his lips curve backwards. He could still smell the blood of that girl in the alley, and he couldn't even remember her name. He felt the threat that was Naruto before him; could see those piercing blue eyes that were hard to gaze into for prolonged periods of time.

Heaving a couple of breaths, Naruto released his wrists, and Sasuke crumpled onto the pavement below. He sucked a breath in and choked air out. Dirt filled his nostrils and mouth until his tongue felt like sandpaper. He was still as this brief moment of sanity settled over him. He clung to it, refusing to feed the insanity clawing its way back to power. He couldn't wrestle it for long.

Definitely not when he could smell the girl's blood—he couldn't even remember her name—and the perfume she wore leeched into his senses until his lust for flesh and play shrouded his logic once again. She should have been his—he had a right to her. After all, he had seen her first. He deserved to be the one to kill her.

Naruto was watching him closely. Too closely. He looked baffled, but he didn't ask any more questions. Sasuke didn't care. The moment Naruto blinked, Sasuke whipped around, bolted to his feet, and sprinted back to where he remembered the girl to be. The hunger was too much. It was all he could think of. There was nothing, except for the burning desire to sink his teeth into flesh and let the coppery tang of blood swallow his fever.

The body wasn't where they had left it, but her perfume lingered. Sasuke stumbled forward in an attempt to follow the scent, but a hand grabbed his hair and whipped him backwards. He howled and was suddenly on the ground, Naruto pinning him, enraged. He hadn't even heard the other boy follow; he hadn't cared enough to look back.

"Don't you know the rules? You're on _my_ territory!"

A cloud smothered the moon and Sasuke felt some of his senses return, especially when Naruto's eyes bore holes into his own. Naruto gripped his wrists in a nearly bone breaking hold, and thrust them above Sasuke's head. "And then you dishonor me by fighting as a_ human_!"

Sasuke blinked. Wasn't he human? The hunger was still clinging to his senses and he felt bile rise to his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to throw up. He hadn't eaten for days, and it seemed, for once, like exhaustion was taking control of the animalistic fury poisoning his mind. Naruto pressed closer to him and all Sasuke could see were his eyes; demanding, furious, and powerful.

Sasuke's last ounce of pride surrendered when he choked out a sob, and tears flooded his eyes. Crying was something he never indulged in and somehow, in this moment, he felt more himself than he had in a while. He could feel it now; his body unable to fight the disease plaguing his mind. He had been doing so well…he had fought it off until now. Could he fight it off longer?

Sheltering a wary concern, Naruto sat back, his expression now perplexed and tinged with apprehension as Sasuke spoke.

"Why did he attack me...why would he do it..."

It was a mantra that Sasuke had buried deep within, and now, as he fell apart, he couldn't keep himself from repeating it. His words were hardly intelligible from beneath the sobs that wracked his slender body.

Naruto sat silently above him and he raised an uneasy eyebrow. "Hey…"

Sasuke didn't look up at him, but he could hear the vague concern in the other boy's tone. The moment was ruined when Naruto's attention whipped away, drawn towards the entrance to the alleyway.

Sasuke glanced up, sniffling, and saw the Outsider above him grow more alert with each passing second. A good minute passed before Naruto lowered himself more so over Sasuke, so close that his unusual scent was like a blanket covering Sasuke's body. In a position that parodied intimacy, Sasuke felt claimed; it was as though Naruto was sheltering what was his.

There were light footsteps and Sasuke twisted his head to the side, looking past Naruto's arm to see who was approaching. An enormous white wolf was not what he expected, but it found them nonetheless, followed by a figure that looked no older than Naruto or himself. Sasuke blinked away the remaining tears in his eyes.

The hazy brown hue of a candlelit streetlamp helped Sasuke to see the stranger more clearly. The upward curve of a cocky expression on lips, the domineering glare of amber colored eyes. Dark hair, a face painted with strange red shapes, and clothes much too warm even for the crisp coolness of the night.

Naruto shifted and Sasuke watched his lips move. "Kiba. What are you doing here?"

"And here I was expecting a hello," he laughed and it wasn't a pleasant sound. "I'm here to get rid of the trash. You saved me the work, though." Kiba stared down at Sasuke and tilted his head jovially.

Pressing closer to Naruto unconsciously, Sasuke realized that he was afraid.

Naruto lowered against Sasuke once again. "It wasn't him."

The boy named Kiba laughed again, and Sasuke wondered what they were talking about. He felt safe where he was, kept under Naruto, satisfied that the intense gaze of the Outsider boy was directed at someone other than himself. Kiba moved and Sasuke inhaled shakily, watching him fearfully from the cage Naruto had become around him.

"Look at him. He's feral. 'Maru could smell him a mile away, the mutt." Kiba stepped closer and Naruto nearly barked.

"He's mine, Kiba," Naruto warned, and the tone of his voice sent chills down Sasuke's spine.

The other boy paused. He twisted his head backwards, as if hearing a noise that didn't exist, and after the wolf next to him did the same, it whined. Kiba frowned. "Kushina's with you?"

Naruto frowned. "Of course she is. It's her town."

Kiba sighed and looked vaguely disappointed. There was a silence that seemed to last too long, though when a female's voice cut in, the conversation continued from where it had left off.

"This _is_ my town," a woman's voice flooded the condensed space of the alleyway. Sasuke watched as Kiba stepped to the side, allowing the speaker through. He recognized her, having seen her before with Naruto on the main street nearest his school. Her voice held little kindness this time, however, as she spoke vehemently to Kiba. "Which poses an interesting question. Why are the Luporri in it?"

The white wolf whined when the woman glared at it, and trickled back to hide behind the boy, who stood firm but couldn't hide the intimidation from his facial expression. He answered, and his voice didn't waver.

"My father sent me. You were taking too long."

Kushina said nothing, but Naruto scoffed. "I didn't even know you'd gotten back from the western villages yet!"

Kiba nodded in response, still looking wary of Kushina. "I only got back yesterday. The situation here seems to have gotten worse, and even the humans are beginning to question your clan."

Naruto's mother shrugged. "Not the Luporri's problem."

Kiba's lips moved as if to retort, but he pulled them tightly together after some thought.

Naruto's stance around Sasuke loosened and he raised an eyebrow. "You should have told me you were back."

Sasuke wondered whether or not Naruto was pouting.

Kiba smirked. "Did you miss me that much?"

Naruto smirked. "Of course. We should hunt soon."

Kushina grunted, and Sasuke felt Naruto retreat slightly, as if he had been reprimanded. His mother seemed eager to end the encounter as she turned her attention to Kiba and spoke firmly.

"This child isn't who you want. Tell your father that Kushina is taking care of the matter and that another unannounced visit will bring unwanted consequences to your people."

Kiba's smile disappeared and he frowned, but there was still respect in his eyes. "Right. Come on, 'Maru."

The white wolf trotted behind him anxiously as they left, glancing back as though at any moment Naruto or Kushina would attack. They didn't, and it was a while before either of them spoke, or before Naruto shifted his weight from Sasuke's frame.

Naruto broke the silence, staring at Sasuke wearily. "Mom, something's wrong with him."

Sasuke scowled, but couldn't help but agree. He knew something was wrong. He had known for two weeks.

Kushina hoisted Naruto up and Sasuke sat forward, staring intently at the dark cobblestone below him. He couldn't bring himself to look into Kushina's eyes. There was something about the action that seemed forbidden.

Instead of providing an explanation for Naruto, Kushina turned towards the street. "No killings will happen tonight. Both of you, come on."

Naruto obeyed, shuffling towards his mother, and he threw back a hesitant look towards Sasuke, who hadn't moved.

Kushina stopped and turned to face him. "Boy. Come."

Sasuke felt the urge to follow, an internal aching to obey her request. He looked up at her and met her eyes, an action that seemed to catch both Outsiders off guard.

"I want to go home," he answered haughtily.

Kushina's face was impassive, though Sasuke saw sympathy somewhere deep within her sight. "You would be a fool if you thought you had a home to go back to."

Sasuke thought of the empty house he hadn't visited in two weeks, and the only family member he had, disappeared with out a trace. Pulling himself to his feet, he pressed forward weakly, his muscles feeling like jelly now that the surge of feverish energy had passed. Naruto caught his arm before he fell, and Sasuke didn't have the energy to fight off the help.

"We'll head back. Tomorrow night's the full moon."

Even though this news excited Naruto, Sasuke couldn't help but notice that Kushina was staring solemnly at him. There was an undercurrent of emotion in her gaze that he couldn't quite place, and she turned slowly when a new figure shadowed their exit. Sasuke recognized him as the captain of the police.

"You found the culprit?" he asked, hope lacing his tone.

Naruto's arm cinched around Sasuke's waist, and Kushina replied. "No, just another victim. We'll be back in a few nights' time. There are some things we need to take care of."

She brushed past the officer, and Naruto eyed the adult wearily as they passed.

"You're taking him?" He asked, hesitantly. It was obvious he didn't quite understand, but he _did_ recognize Sasuke. They had met on a few occasions before, after all.

Kushina didn't answer, so Naruto filled in the pregnant pause. "He's not yours anymore."

Sasuke didn't turn his head to see the expression on the elder man's face, nor did he try and decipher just what Naruto meant. He let his mind go numb as he was led away, to a carriage swallowed by the shadows of night, and from there, off through the treacherous roads that cut through the town's encroaching forest.

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**a/n: **I can't promise regular updates because I am working on writing an original novel (wish me luck!) but I will do my best.


	2. Chapter 2

**Moon Snare**

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**Author:** Ladelle

**Comments:** I...totally forgot to post this here. Epic fail. I've started the process of writing fanfiction more for fun while working on my original more seriously, so I honestly can't promise super scheduled udates. I hope you wonderful readers will enjoy the chapter nonetheless!

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**Chapter 2:**

What little bit of a fight Sasuke had planned to give backfired when daylight spread across the countryside, and his body came crashing into an unfortunate and unexpected tangle of aches and pains. Remembering horrid stories from his childhood, Sasuke felt like heavy coins had been placed over his eyelids as he awaited a certain death. His only comfort was a sweet and forbidden scent that occasionally tickled his senses and flared a tiny swell of life back into his fading consciousness.

Naruto brushed sweat-soaked strands of hair from Sasuke's face as his head lay cradled on his thigh. His fingers felt like fire against Sasuke's skin, and when he spoke, his voice was filled with worry. Sasuke wondered, as he drifted in and out of consciousness, just what was keeping him alive.

"Come on, just drink a little…" Naruto's voice ghosted Sasuke's senses as a ray of sharp afternoon light made the backs of his eyelids glow. Sasuke coughed as water flooded his mouth and escaped onto his chin. A voice he didn't recognize coaxed him further.

"Swallow what you can."

"C-can't…" Sasuke managed to say while forcing his throat to down the cool liquid. He struggled to crack open an eye and was met with piercing blue eyes he recognized, only the man they belonged to was much older than the boy he remembered.

The older man smiled, but Sasuke saw the weariness behind the soft expression. "How long ago were you bitten?"

Sasuke felt his eyebrows draw in confusion as he searched his scrambled thoughts for what the man was referring to.

"I know you're exhausted, but please try to remember. It's important."

"Dad, is he going to turn?" Naruto's familiar voice asked.

The older man flinched and chose not to answer. Instead, he gently pulled Sasuke into a sitting position and lifted his chin so that their eyes could meet. "Tell me. When did you get bitten?"

Struck with the terrifying image of the backlands of silhouetted shrubs and webbed oaks that had swallowed his brother, Sasuke sucked in a breath. "Two…two weeks?" His voice cracked.

"Two weeks?" Naruto was frowning with disbelief. "I thought that—"

"Have you changed?" The older man interrupted, his eyes narrowed, searching Sasuke's for some sort of confirmation.

Sasuke fumbled to grasp his meaning. "I…I've been sick?" As he admitted it, his head throbbed in blinding flashes of fevered chaos. As he tried to take in his surroundings, his eyes hardly able to stay open, he noticed he was in a shack. Rough wooden slates towered around him. The smell of sweat and earth bit his nose and he felt the prickly ends of hay beneath him.

"Have you changed into a wolf?" Naruto clarified, and Sasuke's head lulled to the side, the best he could do in an attempt to meet the Outsider's eyes.

"Wolves…" Sasuke remembered that no one had believed him when he had admitted that a pack of wolves had completely ravished his brother. "They killed him…"

There was a span of silence until Naruto finally spoke. "They? I thought there was only one killer loose in the town?"

"What would you like me to do, Minato?" A colder voice intercepted the inquiry, and Sasuke squinted his eyes to make out a garish figure standing beyond Naruto's father. "Tonight's a full moon. If you're thinking he's a—"

"If he hasn't changed yet, and he was bitten two weeks ago, he has to be. Damn it," Minato cursed. "I hadn't realized the situation had gotten so out of control."

What little strength Sasuke had left faded and he slouched backwards. Naruto caught him in an awkward embrace, and Sasuke tilted his head to the side, until his nose brushed Naruto's skin. "Smells…so good…"

A look of panic crossed Naruto's features as Minato frowned. "What did he just say?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Naruto shook his head. "It's not a big deal. He seemed to know in the village and—"

"Unbelievable," the man in the shadows stated.

Minato seemed shocked as well, though his features hid it well enough. "The kid hasn't even turned and he can tell you're in heat?"

Naruto laughed nervously, and the strange man standing behind Minato crept a little closer. "If he makes it, he might be pretty strong."

"Kakashi, you and I both know that if he makes it…" The comment died with a quiet contemplation. Naruto seemed to grow anxious in the silence.

"What will happen if he makes it?"

"We'll discuss it when the time calls," Minato answered.

"He will make it, right?" Naruto's grip on Sasuke grew stronger.

Sasuke couldn't cling to consciousness long enough to hear the answer.

* * *

The furtive fragrance of strawberry fields invaded his dreams like a sweetened smoke. Tall grasses in the lark meadow hissed his name and demanded that he wake, but Sasuke tore through low-hanging branches and the silky sweeps of spider webs as though his life depended on it. A cold breeze sliced at his skin and he distantly heard himself crying out.

When the sound shocked him awake, a strong body forced him flat onto the straw-laden bed of the shack. He howled in a mixture of pain and fury, not recognizing the sound of his own voice. He thrashed about and screamed as his body burned, but when his eyes opened, he saw no fire. The sickness was consuming him, it seemed, like a flame.

"Breathe through it," The man above him said, and Sasuke caught glimpses of his white head of hair as it fell over scarred skin near his eye. He seemed quite young, even with his grey hair and glossy eye, which looked as though it hadn't seen anything for years. His good eye was the color of a cobalt sky just before twilight.

Sasuke obeyed the command, breathing in quick rushes of air through his nose, still writhing as he felt the fiery sensation saturate his skin. He kicked and screamed until his throat could only concoct guttural growls.

"Kakashi, my dad is coming," Naruto's voice managed to fill the void that Sasuke's hollering had left. "Have you got him?"

Kakashi was frowning and Sasuke seethed. "My skin is p-peeling—" He felt it curling away from his flesh like the coiled skin of an apple, but when he glanced down, it was completely intact. He cried out and wriggled helplessly under Kakashi's grip.

Kakashi spoke calmly, even if his voice was gruff from his struggle to keep Sasuke grounded. "Don't fight it."

"Is he turning?"

Sasuke saw Naruto look at him with knowing eyes. He had no idea what the Outsider's words meant. Kakashi nodded.

"T-turning…into w-what?" Sasuke's nails dug into the chilled soil beneath him and his teeth clamped together. Naruto replied as though the answer was obvious.

"A wolf."

Sasuke felt panic take over, and the raw energy of the emotion surged through him like a rush of water preceding a mudslide. It made no sense. It made perfect sense. It felt wrong. It felt right.

In one rush of movement, he tore himself up from the ground, sending Kakashi stumbling backwards like a ragdoll. With only his instinct to guide him, he escaped the small shack and took off into the night.

Wind bit at his skin and burned his throat as he struggled to inhale it. The moon was full. So full it looked like a rubber ball that would at any moment fall into Sasuke's soil-stained hands. He scratched at his skin as he ran.

Turning into a wolf? That was impossible.

"Hey!"

Sasuke didn't stop, especially because Naruto's voice sounded so close. He pelted across a long stretch of grazing land for sheep before ducking into the woodlands. He could feel the tremors coming on; the aching need for things he couldn't name. Adrenaline throbbed with every pulse of his heart, mixed with the undeniable pain of his sickness.

"Why, _you_—"

Sasuke didn't get to hear the rest of what Naruto had to say before the other boy tackled him to the ground. Their bodies met and melded together. They rolled against thatches of fallen branches and leaves and the dull perfume of night-flowers and dirt filled Sasuke's nostrils. Naruto's skin was cool against his own. Their legs tangled. They fought and Sasuke clawed, but in the end, when their tumble stilled, it was Naruto who was on top, pinning Sasuke's hands to either side of his head.

"Get off of me!"

"Turn!" Naruto demanded, and his eyes glowed a cruel and brilliant cerulean.

Sasuke growled back, "I can't turn into a wolf, I'm—"

"Not human anymore!" Naruto finished for him, panting.

Sasuke's lips pursed and he stuttered over a breath. His eyes were wet and he was shaking, the pain stinging so badly. "I can't—"

"You have to," Naruto's voice was much kinder, even if his eyes hadn't lost their intensity. His body slipped closer to Sasuke's, until his nose was nearly nuzzling Sasuke's neck.

"You said you liked my scent, right? Just think about that…"

Sasuke had nearly forgotten. The moonlit lilacs had just about hidden the smell from him. Sasuke buried his nose in Naruto's hair and inhaled, the sweet smell of something aching and forbidden healing a bit of the pain he had felt moments before.

"That's right," Naruto's lips hovered just above Sasuke's skin. "Now just stay calm. Don't fight it."

Sasuke shivered. "I don't want to be a wolf…"

A hot puff of air made the skin of Sasuke's shoulder erupt with goose bumps as Naruto chuckled. "You won't be one forever. But you have to change tonight. Trust me. My dad said so."

Sasuke wasn't sure what relevance Naruto's father played in the ordeal, but he didn't question it. Naruto's grip on his wrists loosened and so Sasuke clung to him tightly, biting his lip as he groaned against the perplexing pain swallowing his sanity. His vision flashed colors he didn't know existed. His bones felt like they were snapping and bloating, his flesh felt as though it had been scalded off, and Sasuke's nose and lips felt like they were being stretched to impossible lengths.

All at once, after an eternity of discomfort and tear stained vision, the pain was gone.

"Whoa, I've never seen one completely black before," Naruto's voice caused Sasuke to look at him curiously. "Even your eyes."

Sasuke's body felt funny. He felt compact, and when he whipped his head to the side to stare at Naruto, his snout smacked the Outsider in the cheek.

"Ouch," Naruto pushed himself backwards and rubbed his face. With one eye clenched closed and other peeking over at Sasuke, he looked pleased with himself. Leaning forward, but not too close to Sasuke, he pointed towards the ground.

"You've turned, see?"

Sasuke shakily got to his feet. His _four_ feet. He stared down at his paws; couldn't tear his eyes from them. It was like watching a dream and he was struggling to convince himself that what he was seeing was reality. He tried to talk, but only a whine escaped his throat.

Smooth fingers scratched behind his ears, and Sasuke unconsciously leaned into Naruto's touch. He was past the point of losing his mind. At this point in time, he was convinced that he already had. He was a wolf. He could feel it. He could see the fur and his ears could pick up every noise, it seemed, no matter how small.

"Not so bad, right?" Naruto scooted backwards and sunk to his hands and knees. "Although, it's a bit different from being in this form…" he motioned to himself, still seemingly human.

Sasuke nodded uncomfortably, remembering that his voice didn't work. He felt like screaming. He tried, but instead, a howl tore itself from his throat. It was a guttural sound that started low in his chest and blossomed forward until Naruto was on him, cursing. His fingers were curled around Sasuke's snout, clamping his mouth closed, ending the sound as quickly as it had started. "You can't do that."

Sasuke quieted and sat very still. The exhaustion he had felt as a human had been replaced with an aware sort of energy, and the extent to which he hadn't eaten was now devastatingly apparent. His stomach growled and he licked his lips. The action only made it more apparent that his teeth were now startlingly long and sharp.

"You can't howl because you're only supposed to for emergencies," Naruto explained the rule. "Are you hungry? I can see your ribs." Naruto's fingers sifted through the soft fur of Sasuke's side, roving the bumpy extrusions of bone. He was frowning. "How did you make it two weeks without turning?"

Sasuke had no way of responding, and didn't know the answer himself. He didn't understand why he had turned to begin with. A growl hummed in his stomach. Sasuke felt so hungry and dehydrated that he still felt sick, even if it was different than before. This time he didn't feel like he was being overcome by a fever. He felt like his entire body was empty.

"Just wait here," Naruto advised. He stood up and as he did, his body changed. In a second it turned from human to wolf, so quickly that Sasuke feared he had missed the transformation by blinking. Blue eyes glittered before Naruto bolted off.

Staring at the hedges that Naruto had disappeared beyond, Sasuke sat still. He had never seen a wolf, only mangy dogs that wandered the streets and picked fights for abandoned bones and shreds of meat. Wolves weren't dogs, he thought, the image of Naruto lingering in his mind. They were bigger, more regal, and smart.

He shivered, despite his warm coat. Naruto's words echoed in his mind.

_You're not human anymore._

A whimper caught his attention and his head snapped up. Naruto had returned and was clutching something unmoving and dripping blood between his teeth. It looked like a rabbit. Sasuke stared in disbelief, hoping that Naruto didn't intend for him to actually eat it. After Naruto dropped the little body on a bed of leaves in front of Sasuke, it was apparent the bloodied little animal was supposed to be dinner.

Sasuke snorted and ignored the offering. Naruto's snout wrinkled in confusion and he stepped forward and nudged the rabbit closer to Sasuke, who shook his head. His mouth was watering, but his pride and humanity kept him from devouring a raw animal. The wolf that was Naruto tilted its head to the side before huffing. Creeping forward, Naruto nibbled on a bit of the animal, as if to show that it was safe. Still, Sasuke didn't make a move towards it.

"You need to eat," Naruto phased again, and was human, and angry. He was also naked, and Sasuke tried to hide his embarrassment as Naruto crawled towards him and shook the rabbit in his face. "Don't humans eat rabbits?"

Sasuke blanched in disgust. Cooked ones, he thought.

"I saw some human burning one once. Is that it? You need it to be burned?" Naruto looked a little disgusted with the idea, and Sasuke decided that if he lived through whatever was happening to him, he planned on thoroughly explaining the difference between burning and cooking a meal.

When Sasuke didn't answer, Naruto figured he had guessed correctly. He shook his head. "You're picky, aren't you? Look, let's go back to the house. We can start a fire there and—"

Sasuke edged backwards, immediately opposed to the idea. Naruto was okay, for now, mainly because there was something about him that meant pure attraction and trust to Sasuke. The rest of the people that were waiting were strangers, and his first impression hadn't been warm. Strapping him to the floor and demanding he change wasn't a memory he was going to cherish.

"Okay, okay, sorry. We won't go back. Don't run away, okay? Because I'll catch you." His last statement seemed like a promise rather than a threat. Sasuke almost wanted to test it.

"What, you want to run?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow and Sasuke realized that his expression must have exploited his thoughts. Suddenly Naruto's eyes glittered. "We should run. It always feels better to run."

He was a wolf again before Sasuke could comment, and nudged his head towards a clearing ahead. Sasuke watched as the golden wolf trotted off, glancing back a couple of times to ensure that Sasuke was following. Sasuke was, but in a delicate pace. His paws sank into the mud beneath him and the pads of his feet snapped every branch they came into contact with. In comparison, Naruto was soundless.

Naruto barked at him, and Sasuke's attention shot up. He was excited, Sasuke realized, watching Naruto's tail wag. He picked up his pace, enjoying the way his muscles seemed to stretch with the movements. It did feel better, but also extremely foreign.

Soon they were both jogging. After a little bit of that, Naruto was racing forward. Sasuke threw his inhibition to the wind and bolted after him, leaping clumsily over fallen tree trunks and small clumps of furlong bushes. He stumbled, tripped and felt embarrassment flood him. When his eyes met Naruto's and he saw a smirk, his rebellious nature kicked in.

He snorted and was off. He dodged past Naruto faster than he had been running before and bolted out into a widespread grove of grass, weeds, and wildflowers. He stretched and lunged and Naruto ran beside him, looking competitive. They circled the field side by side a few times before Sasuke slowed, his hunger weighing on him again.

Naruto nudged his neck and Sasuke got the impression to follow him towards a herd of sheep grazing nearby. Most had settled into cottony clumps on the grass, and as Sasuke and Naruto approached, a few that were still awake cast them weary expressions.

Naruto nodded Sasuke over to a larger clump and settled down beside them. Sasuke followed in suit, feeling clumsy as several sheep cast him agitated glares. He curled against the puff of one sheep and the warm fur of Naruto, and before he even felt tired, he was asleep.

* * *

Sasuke shot up with wide eyes, panting. Naruto's arm rolled from his torso to his lap, and Sasuke scrambled away, nearly tripping over a sheep in the process. He sat quietly, watching Naruto mumble and shift, looking every bit human with no trace of animal. His heart was beating wildly from a dream; a dream where he had changed into a wolf himself. He pressed backwards into the soft fleece of the animal behind him, realizing with embarrassment that he was completely naked.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to turn back," a voice caused him to jump, and his arm instinctively came forward to catch some cloth that had been tossed his way. He saw Naruto's father staring down at him and examined the gift with hesitation. "Pants and a blanket," Minato stated the obvious, smiling, though his eyes didn't hold the same enthusiasm.

Sasuke shuffled the pants on quickly before getting to his feet and wrapping the blanket around the rest of his frame. He looked back at Naruto, who was still fast asleep.

"He rests like the dead after he turns," Minato said. "For most of us, it's exhausting and takes some getting used to. Not for you though." He was standing on a rise of land not ten feet from Sasuke, leaning over an old picket fence that oversaw the sprawling pasture.

He looked like he belonged there, overlooking the land.

Sasuke shifted, finding himself almost moved by the way the older man's piercing blue eyes looked so wise in that moment. Even though Sasuke could feel the fear of confusion and doubt clouding his mind, he stood his ground.

"What are you?"

Minato seemed surprised by this question and laughed. It was a nice sound, and Sasuke wished he could remember a time where he had ever heard his own father laugh. The memory of his parents was so vague and distant that he hardly clung to the thought of family any longer.

"Something from your human lore, I'm sure," Minato answered. He put his elbows onto the fence, and rested his chin on his palms. "We are the protectors of humans and the land they live on…though in your bedtime stories, we are creatures that hunt during the full moons and bathe towns in blood."

Sasuke frowned. "I've never been told any stories like that."

"You've never heard of werewolves?" Minato looked genuinely amazed. "Your town's getting quieter and quieter. I suppose that's a good thing. It means they fear me enough to dull the rumors, at least…"

"Werewolves?" Sasuke tried the word with his own tongue and lips. It had a bitter taste.

Minato smiled down at him, though it wasn't an honest expression. There were secrets behind the father's eyes, ones Sasuke was sure he would never know.

"Am I…a werewolf?" Sasuke asked, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. A cool breeze sifted over the valley, a sign that dawn was close in coming. Minato looked unaffected by the sudden coolness, despite being shirtless. He frowned at the question.

"Walk with me," he answered instead, and he pushed off from the fence, following a dirt path away from Sasuke, towards a pull of land where the fence ended and the pasture met the winding road. Sasuke followed after some hesitation, casting Naruto a sidelong glance before continuing forward. Minato waited for him, hands buried in the pockets of his own pants, his chest bare and lean, and pale in the fading darkness of morning.

They began walking, and Sasuke noticed how smooth the dirt was beneath his bare feet. It was softer than the overturning sands of the small beach near the pier, where Sasuke had often pricked his foot on jagged pebbles and gravel the size of salt nicks. He stared down at it as light began to shoulder the horizon, painting the sky purple and the trees blue.

"Who bit you, Sasuke?"

The question was so abrupt that Sasuke stopped cold in his tracks. He met the older man's eyes and knew, in some tiny part of his mind, that he couldn't admit what he knew was the truth.

"Someone you knew then," Minato answered to himself, and Sasuke felt a surge of panic. He saw pieces of that night a bit more clearly now, as if someone had removed a veil from his mind's eye. A wolf had bit him that night, but there hadn't been just one. And mixed with the memory of canine teeth sinking into his neck was the image of his brother's silhouette ripping to shreds, replaced by a wild animal with a piercing wail.

Sasuke shook his head, hoping to dispel the rotten feeling inside of his stomach. "What does biting have to do with anything?"

Minato looked away from him. "Whoever bit you turned you into one of us," he replied solemnly. "Only you're different. In a way I can't explain at the moment, because I need to discuss with my pack what to do with you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You're going to kill me?"

Minato glanced down at him from the corner of his eye, and started a reply. "No, but there are rules—"

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Naruto paraded up the hillside, stark naked, looking offended. "Ino's going to make sheep jokes all day," he pouted.

Sasuke turned his attention away from Naruto, and could feel Naruto's confused reaction even without seeing it.

"What's wrong—"

"Naruto, go put some clothes on," Minato sighed. "And while you're at it, get everyone together. We have some things we need to discuss."

Naruto glanced down at himself in confusion before nodding, and phased into a wolf before sprinting off. Sasuke took a step backwards out of pure surprise, and held up his own arm, as if to validate that he wasn't a wolf himself. Minato placed a hand on his back and his head whipped up to see the older man's face.

"You'll need to wait in the barn while my pack meets," he explained, and pointed to the log building Sasuke remembered being in the night before.

"Pack?" Sasuke asked, though he was starting to vaguely understand. They were like humans that obeyed the laws of wolves. It only made sense that they had a pack, and that Sasuke was an outsider to it. Fascinating, too, considering the town only had stray dogs, and the only collections of wild wolves were said to live deep within the forest; so deep that not even the hunters had ever managed to find one to bring back.

Sasuke looked at the pasture and the woods that nestled against it, almost like their small plot of land was an island amongst the wilderness.

"So I'm just supposed to wait?" he asked. For the first time in two weeks his head felt clear and he didn't feel sick. Unfortunately, that also meant that he had little left to hold his tongue. "One of your kind did this to me, and now _you _get to decide whether or not I live or die?"

Blinking in surprise, Minato summoned an expression that defined him as a leader. "Even if it wasn't your fault, you are what you are. You're not like us, you're worse. So yes, you're going to have to wait."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes before Minato ruffled his hair and started towards the house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Moon Snare**

* * *

**Author:** Ladelle

**Comments:** I'm sorry for the wait. Here is chapter three, and I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

It was mid-morning when Sasuke finally emerged from the barn, and the sky was a vivid shade of oyster blue. One cloud crawled across the cyan canvas, and Sasuke watched it creep along, the growls of his stomach hidden by a slight breeze that rustled hedge grasses and whistled through the distant woods. He swallowed against the dryness of his throat and sat forward, letting the blanket Minato had given him slip from his shoulders.

At least an hour had passed since Minato had disappeared into the house, along with Naruto and what Sasuke assumed to be the rest of their pack. He was bored and hungry, though the pangs from his short-lived famine had dulled down to the point where he was able to ignore them. It wasn't a good sign, he decided, and for the smallest moment, he wished he had eaten the rabbit Naruto had caught for him the night before.

Sasuke shook away the thought. There was no way he could have eaten raw meat. Just like there really wasn't any way he could have possibly turned into a wolf. He still felt like he was dreaming, watching fields stretch out before him and the shadows of clouds create slow-moving stains on their grassy embroidery. It looked so peaceful. But Sasuke's skin crawled as it had been for the past half hour or so. Something wasn't right.

_Ba-dum._

Sasuke swallowed. He listened closely.

_Ba-dum._

There. He heard it again.

Or felt it, rather. He wasn't quite sure how he knew it, but there was something lurking behind the gentle screen of woodlands that weaved along the countryside. He could feel a thrumming at the back of his head, sometimes loud, sometimes dim. It was calling to him, and he felt like a puppet, invisible strings tugging him towards the swelling valley that rounded into forest.

Sasuke turned his head and looked at the house. It was white, with paint so old it looked dappled, and its insides were all shielded by lacy curtains. There was no movement from beyond the sheer material, and not once did a pair of eyes peer out to see if he was still there. Everything was eerily quiet, save the creeping feeling in his gut, unfamiliar and unexplainable.

"I should just leave," he said out loud, though very quietly. The previous night returned to him in snippets. Had he really turned into an animal? Was the memory of Naruto's weight on him, lips pressed to his neck, urging him to give in—had that been real? He felt his face grow hot at the recollection, and once again, turned to stare at the house.

It sat still, no signs of life. No proof that Sasuke wasn't alone. He _felt_ alone, and the emotion was like lead in his stomach. He had no one; no parents, no brother…he didn't even have a home. For reasons he couldn't explain, his life no longer held the same meaning it did before. He had no future; it was plagued with unknowns.

His attention whipped back to the woodlands when he felt another tug, this time, one that ran the length of his spine.

"I have to go," he whispered, not really sure why he felt he must, and that there was no other way. He stood up and started forward. It was like he was being drawn forward.

Sasuke bit his lip and thought about the strangers he had seen the night before—the gray-haired man who lurked in shadows, Naruto's father, the woman with hair the color of fire, and Naruto himself…what were they planning to do with him?

The Outsiders _were_ their secrets. The village feared them because of what they didn't know—something Sasuke now knew: That they were truly wolves. It didn't make much sense, but Sasuke knew it was true. No matter how much he wanted to convince himself he had been delirious the night before, he was constantly fighting off sharp pieces of vivid imagery—the feel of the wind against the ruffled fur of his torso; the tangy smell of coppery blood as a rabbit's life seeped away into a bed of leaves and grass—and Naruto, a blond boy with vibrant eyes that was a beautiful, thick-coated wolf.

All of this was proof enough, and Sasuke was panicked. He snuck behind clumps of bushes and puffs of wildflowers, and crept alongside the grazing sheep. They watched him with expressions of boredom, and Sasuke found himself glancing back every few seconds, watching the house as though the doors would burst open at any minute and erupt with wild dogs bearing their fangs.

The breeze chilled his naked torso, and Sasuke realized he'd left the blanket. After feeling another unconscious tug, and he forgot he was cold. Pausing just outside of the line of trees that curved like a wall against the forest, Sasuke swallowed a lump in his throat. He was now standing in the sunlight; he could feel it kissing his skin. Ahead of him, past the wall, was all darkness.

His eyes searched the canopy for a simple pillar of light, but one didn't exist. It was all nearly black. Had it been this dark when Sasuke had raced towards it the night before, in his haste to escape the shed?

A sheep cried out and Sasuke stumbled forward into the shadows, the palm of his hand finding a tree to brace himself against as he turned and looked back at the house. It still looked as it always seemed to, untouched and uninhabited. It was hard to believe that the meeting to decide his fate was happening beyond such serenity.

Sasuke's stomach growled and he looked down to it, remembering Naruto's comment about being able to see his ribs. It was true. Frowning, Sasuke tried to remember what his brother had always told him about finding food in the forest. Itachi had been a hunter; he was good at it. Setting traps and luring in animals, collecting berries and other things for them to eat. He'd taught Sasuke what he'd known, but when Sasuke was much younger.

Sasuke's finger found a prickly bush with little blue fruits hanging, and he shook his head. He was pretty sure they were poisonous. He continued on, keeping his eyes peeled for anything else that looked edible. There were more bushes with the same blue fruit. They seemed to stretch on for forever. He felt like he'd been trekking through the woods for an eternity before he happened upon a vine plump with red berries.

His tongue felt fat in his mouth; they looked delicious.

Sasuke pulled one from its root and held it against his lip—a trick his brother had taught him. Usually the poisonous fruits would itch or make sore, but this fruit did neither. He parted his lips, about to take a bite, when something smacked him on the back of the head.

"You trying to kill yourself?"

Dropping the berry and whirling around, Sasuke felt his heart climb to his throat when he was faced with a boy he remembered with a hazy familiarity. On the night in the village, when Naruto had found him, there had been another boy—one with markings on his face and a giant white mastiff—and now, the boy was standing directly in front of him.

"I mean, don't _not_ kill yourself on my account. You'd be making my job a whole lot easier," the boy said, waving a hand at Sasuke, who remained silent. He scanned the area around him for his dog, but didn't see any sign of the behemoth creature. The stranger waved a hand in front of Sasuke's face, as if to break him from a reverie. "Hello?"

Sasuke frowned. "If it's poisonous, tell me which ones I can eat."

The hazel-colored eyes of the other boy narrowed in an unexpected amusement before looking Sasuke up-and-down. He shook his head and pulled open the jacket draped snug to his shoulders, and pulled out a few thick strips of dried meat. He held them out to Sasuke with a smirk. "It may be your last meal."

The glare that Sasuke gave made the kid lose a bit of his cockiness, but he shook the meat towards Sasuke's hand regardless. "Eat."

Sasuke didn't argue. He took the pieces and started in on them, not once letting his eyes leave the other boy who watched him warily.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

Between chews, Sasuke frowned at him. "It's rude to ask people that before introducing yourself."

The brown-haired boy looked irritated but answered regardless. "Kiba Inuzuka, of the Luporri. You smell better than you did last time. You turn last night?"

Sasuke felt his blood run cold, having not expected to be asked about it so casually. Actually, it hadn't even crossed his mind that he'd even be asked at all. His expression was sour, he could feel it, and Kiba was eyeing him skeptically while throwing glances back towards where Sasuke knew the house to be.

"You wouldn't happen to be running away, would you?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead he swallowed a bit more of the tangy dried meat, lost in the sensation of his stomach being filled, bit by bit. Kiba's eyes narrowed at him, and Sasuke merely started past him, aiming to delve deeper into the forest, and either lose himself there, or find his way back to his village.

Kiba's hand landed on his shoulder. "Don't leave their territory—"

"Don't touch me," Sasuke turned his head just enough to catch Kiba's gaze, and was satisfied to see the other boy look tense for a mere moment. "You want to kill me. They want to kill me. It's all the same. Of course I'm running away."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "They said they were going to kill you?" He looked to be thinking about this quite hard. Sasuke didn't understand why Kiba seemed bothered by it. Finally, he said, "They won't kill you."

To Sasuke's ears, the proclamation wasn't that convincing.

"They can't," Kiba continued after gaging the look on Sasuke's face. "You don't belong to them. You belong to whoever bit you. They're probably trying to figure out which pack you belong to."

Sasuke didn't feel better after hearing that, either. Kiba shifted on his feet and threw his hands behind his head, leaning back lazily.

"But hey, if you want to run, it's no hair off my back. The easiest way to the road is that way," he motioned towards a tumble of boulders not too far off, covered in moss and white flowers. "But just so you know, if you leave their territory, you're fair game."

Sasuke analyzed Kiba for a long moment, wanting to ask what _he_ was doing wandering in the woods, and what 'fair game' meant. He could assume it meant he'd be in danger, and while he was pretty sure he could hold his own in the wilderness if he found a stream, he wasn't sure how far away he was from the village. A feeling gnawed at his practicality, urging him to return to the house. Another part of him, his pride, was willing him to travel a bit farther, and test fate.

Kiba's head turned slightly as a breeze rustled the wilderness around them, and he frowned, sniffing the air. Sasuke felt the thrumming return at the base of his skull, and he unconsciously took a step forward and past Kiba.

"What _is_ that?" he asked, the hairs on his arms rising. He paused and rested a hand on the ragged bark of a stout tree, and Kiba came up beside him.

Kiba eyed him warily. "You can feel it?"

Sasuke rubbed his arm to make the goosebumps disappear. "I guess. What is it?" he replied coolly. He didn't go into detail about feeling drawn towards it either. In his opinion, the less said, the better. The stranger next to him wasn't someone he felt up to trusting. While Kiba Inuzuka looked like a normal kid Sasuke's age, his eyes were too serious—he had the look of a wolf without being one, his eyes narrowed and severe, his mouth curled up in a permanent grin.

"Something I've been hunting," Kiba pulled his jacket back and dug out a blade from a pouch attached to his waist. It shimmered, even under the dimly lit canopy of the foliage above. Sasuke recognized it to be silver.

"It's been after you three ever since you left the village," Kiba said pointedly. Then he turned to Sasuke and raised an eyebrow mischievously. "You know, it's probably someone you bit."

Sasuke found himself frowning. "I haven't bitten anyone. _I _got bit—"

Kiba held up a hand to silence him as he looked off into the distance, seemingly distracted by something else. Sasuke guessed it had to do with whatever he was hunting, because he felt the air around them go stale. Birds went quiet and insects stopped chirping, and Sasuke felt his nerves tremor. His instincts were telling him to run, and to run _now_.

"Stay here," Kiba said to the contrary. "It's close. You'll just get in my way if you tag along, and I'm aiming to maim this thing."

Sasuke wondered why Kiba thought he'd want to tag along in the first place. Especially because he wasn't even sure what is was the hunter was after. Someone Sasuke had bit, he had said?

"I didn't bite anyone," Sasuke stated firmly as Kiba set off, and the other boy merely turned and nodded at him, looking hardly convinced. Sasuke let him disappear into the brush and waited obediently, even though his blood was racing. His skin was crawling all over, and he felt jittery. The thrumming was now a pounding, and the invisible strings he had felt earlier were now trying to suffocate him.

A branch cracked behind him, and he let out a shaky breath. It was there. He heard it, not twenty feet behind him, plowing through bushes, snapping twigs and stomping forward. Sasuke slowly turned, swallowing a lump in his throat as he saw the creature Kiba had been referring to.

It was gruesome. And what was worse, Sasuke could tell it had once been human. It had the shape of a human and teetered on two legs, and had two gangly arms that stretched out like the legs of a spider. It hardly had any skin left though. Patches of flesh showed around its eyes and knees, but the majority of the animal was a mass of thinning hair, wiry and grey.

Sasuke felt bile rise to his throat and he stumbled backwards against a tree. He wondered where Kiba had disappeared to when his prey was right in front of him. He wished he had a weapon. He wished he knew what he was up against. He wished he knew why it was coming towards him, lips parted and salivating.

Sasuke blinked and the thing was charging forward. Wheeling out of the way, Sasuke staggered forward, glancing over his shoulder to see the creature ram into the tree he had been propped against. It howled, an awful guttural sound, and Sasuke finally decided to give in to his instincts and run.

He tore through the forest, and realized that he was slow. He remembered the night before, how everything he passed was a blur of motion. Now it was as though his legs couldn't carry him fast enough, and they were sloppy. He tripped here and stumbled there, and he could hear his pulse pounding in his ears as he raced forward.

The creature howled and Sasuke could tell it was close behind. It was tripping as much as he was, but its bloodlust was helping it to keep up. Sasuke's lungs burned and he deftly leapt over a fallen trunk, only to tumble forward on his landing, his palms digging into the dirt in an effort to help him catch his balance.

A shadow concealed him for a brief second, and Sasuke scrambled backwards as the monster leapt over both the log and him, and crashed to the ground in a fury of snarls. It spun as it hit the ground and turned on Sasuke, who backed up until he couldn't anymore, a large branch from the overturned tree digging into his back.

He felt time freeze as it stalked forward, eyes blood red, snot pooling from its twisted nose and drool gushing from gnarled lips.

"Found it!"

The voice startled Sasuke and he looked above up, surprised to see a blonde-haired girl standing cockily, feet nearly a foot spread on the trunk, pointing at the monster. She glanced down at Sasuke and snorted. "Guess I found you too, huh?"

The creature snarled and the girl jumped down, landing in front of Sasuke with the agility of a cat. She was wearing a long and tattered sleeveless dress, and her eyes were nearly grey as she looked over Sasuke, searching for any sign of injury. Upon not seeing one, she looked confused, but turned her attention back to the beast regardless.

She clapped her hands together. "Alright. Let's play."

Sasuke watched as she was human one minute and a wolf the next, her dress left in a pool beneath her petite form. She bolted forward and she and the creature went at it, tearing at each other, snarling, and growling loudly enough for Sasuke to feel his ears ring.

"Ino!"

The voice was familiar, and Sasuke found himself sitting up straight as Naruto came up behind him, his face intent upon the battle. A larger wolf bounded past him and over Sasuke, and smashed into the monstrous half-human being with a force that sent it flying backwards. It was then that Sasuke noticed that the girl had been injured; her pretty hazel-colored fur splashed with red. Even as a wolf Sasuke could tell she was livid, but she stood on all fours, refusing to give in.

The big wolf howled and Sasuke watched as Naruto shouted back, "Dad, I can fight too!"

The wolf barked and Naruto sucked at his lower lip. His hands tightened around a pack looped over his shoulder and his knuckles whitened. Naruto glanced down at Sasuke, as if he had finally noticed he was there, and held out a hand. "Come on. We've got to get out of here."

Sasuke took his hand without question, and the other boy yanked him up and over the log, and before Sasuke knew it, they were racing through the forest again. Sasuke was panting and his legs stung, still not completely recovered from the first time he had been chased through the clearings. Still, he shouted, "What _was_ that?"

Naruto didn't answer. Sasuke felt his legs grow wobbly as Naruto continued to yank him forward, between trees and over lumps of shrubberies and moss-covered rocks. When Sasuke felt like he's collapse at any moment, they finally stopped.

Naruto turned on him. "Did you bite someone?"

Caught off guard and trying to catch his breath, Sasuke heaved and glanced up at the other boy in disbelief. "No! I haven't bitten anything!"

Naruto snapped at him. "When I first met you, you said you wanted to bite me."

Swimming backwards through his memories, Sasuke tried to remember that moment, when he had first seen Naruto bathed under the custard-colored light from the street lamp, his eyes an impossible shade of blue. Embarrassed, Sasuke replied, "Well I didn't, did I?"

"Yeah, because I stopped you. Who was he?" Naruto waved back in the direction they had come from.

Sasuke stood up straight and glared. "How am I supposed to know? I don't even know what's going on, and I haven't bitten _anything_."

He held Naruto's eyes long enough for them to soften. Naruto frowned. "You promise?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes!"

"But you did say you wanted to bite me."

"Because of the way you smell," Sasuke answered mechanically. He took a deep breath, having finally calmed his heart rate from all of the running. He didn't see the way Naruto was looking at him as he glanced back towards where they had come from.

"I still smell good to you?"

Sasuke was trying to figure out why the thrumming sensation hadn't gone away; why it still pulsed in the back of his head. He didn't know what it meant, but his instincts told him that even though they had run quite a distance, they weren't far from danger. "Yeah…" he answered absently. "Hey, I have this feeling—"

"Wait, so…you've still got a thing for my scent?" Naruto asked, baffled and disbelieving, and Sasuke finally turned back to him, wondering why he was lingering on that topic.

Sasuke's glare must have been harsh, because Naruto bit his lip. "Well, you turned last night and I thought it would have gone away…"

Sasuke stared at him, not quite sure what Naruto was getting at, and therefore hesitant to answer. Yes, Naruto's scent was still sickly sweet in his nose, like maple and figs and a bittersweet breeze on a cool spring day, but that wasn't important. What was important was that he still felt his blood pounding in his ears and the invisible strings of _whatever_ pulling him in a thousand different directions. One part of him was urging for him to run, and the other made him feel like a fish on a line, tugged forward no matter how much he struggled against the current.

Sasuke went cold and stepped backwards, staring into the depths of the forest they had come from. It was a bit clearer now, the feeling, and he whipped his head around to face Naruto.

"There's one coming," Sasuke said suddenly, and Naruto stared at him in disbelief. Sasuke added, "So you should do your wolf thing."

"I don't sense anything," Naruto countered, his eyes darting around the clearing. "And I can't turn. Last night was an exception."

"What?" Sasuke tried to hide the panic in his voice, because he could feel one of those _things_ coming closer. "What do you mean you can't?"

Naruto took a deep breath and frowned. "That's a personal question," he said, and for a minute Sasuke was afraid he'd offended him. He was relieved when Naruto waved him off and continued. "I'm in heat you know, and there's a girl in the house. I'm not allowed to turn."

Sasuke followed the train of thought and felt his face go red. "Oh."

The forest was silent. Too silent. Sasuke recognized the creepy feeling, and he unconsciously stepped behind Naruto.

"It's here."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto started, but his attention whipped to the side when a creature came tearing through, different than before. He shoved Sasuke backwards and held up his arms to brace against the impact, and they tumbled backwards in a ball of kicks and growls. Naruto howled when the creature scraped at his leg, and Sasuke stood, nearly frozen, debating on what to do.

"Sasuke, get away from here!"

Sasuke still stood, unmoving. He couldn't just run away. Not when Naruto was in trouble. He wasn't a coward.

A long branch stuck out of the ground, half hedged in a well of mud that had formed beneath a giant oak. Sasuke ran to it and wedged it out, and raced back towards Naruto and the monster as they rifled about on the ground. He raised the stick high above his head and brought it down with a resounding crunch on the creature's head, and it cried out and toppled to the side. Naruto crawled out from underneath, coughing, his eyes so full of fury that Sasuke felt nervous just looking at him.

"Sasuke, get out of here."

"What? No." Sasuke held strong to the weapon he had forged and the monster pulled itself to its feet and charged towards them. Naruto attempted to take a swipe at it, but the thing smacked him out of the way and aimed straight for Sasuke, apparently wanting payback against the one who'd whacked him upside the head.

"Sasuke!"

"I'm not leaving you, you moron!" Sasuke snapped back, and Naruto looked taken aback before he shook his head, and the ghost of a smirk curled on his lips.

"So be it," he said. "You humans are so stubborn. Hold this." There was little venom behind Naruto's words as he shoved the pack he'd been carrying into Sasuke's chest and phased. Sasuke stumbled back, throwing the pack over his shoulder as he gripped the branch tight in his hands, ready for any opportunity he might have to help. He watched as Naruto leapt forward and had at the monster, ripping open its chest with sharp claws. The creature did everything it could to avoid Naruto, attempting to claw its way towards Sasuke, looking desperate to reach him. When Naruto circled back and it flew forward, Sasuke aimed his makeshift club at its ankles, hoping to break them.

Sasuke swung at the thing's feet and felt them crack from the impact, but the action left his torso wide open. As the creature lurched forward it swiped at Sasuke's stomach, aiming high and catching Sasuke's shoulder instead. It collapsed to the ground and Sasuke dropped the branch, stumbling backwards until he hit an oak tree, clutching at the wound, blood dribbling down his chest.

Naruto was on him in an instant; Sasuke hadn't even seen him phase back.

"Are you okay?"

Sasuke clutched the wound and nodded, watching the creature writhe in agony on the ground. Naruto turned back to look at it, disgusted. He stalked over to where it lay, grabbed its head, and twisted it in one sharp movement. Sasuke saw life leave its eyes, and felt the throbbing in the base of his skull fade away.

The adrenaline was leaving his system and he was catching his breath, and once again, Naruto was pressed against him. Only he was naked, and Sasuke was very aware of it.

"I shouldn't have turned," Naruto was breathing hard, and his hands came to either side of Sasuke, caging him in place. "I put you in danger."

Sasuke swallowed, smelling the blood between them intermixed with whatever scent or feeling Naruto emitted naturally, and felt frozen as Naruto's body nudged against his own.

"I'm fine," he stated honestly, but that wasn't what Naruto wanted to hear. His nose was tracing the countour of Sasuke's jaw, trailing down his neck and to his shoulder where the blood was sluggishly pooling out. Sasuke felt Naruto's tongue flatten against his skin and drag upwards, and he took a shaky breath.

"Naruto," he said, feeling awkward. He had seen dogs lick at each others wounds in the market place—was this the same type of thing?

Naruto flattened against him and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I told you," Sasuke said, shoving some irritation into his tone in order to hide his embarrassment, "I'm fine. It's not that bad." At least he hoped it wasn't.

"Not just that."

When Naruto shifted against him, Sasuke froze.

"Oh," he said, stupidly. His head tilted backwards and he swallowed, not quite sure to react to the hardness he felt against his upper thigh. He felt goosebumps erupt on his flesh, and he tried to ignore the way that smell—that stupid addictive smell—was creeping its way into his senses, drowning his thoughts and making him—

Sasuke pushed Naruto backwards and shoved the backpack at him, ignoring the confused look on the other boy's face. He couldn't even look him in the eye, not when Naruto was naked and completely nonchalant to the fact he had _reacted_ to Sasuke in _that_ way.

Sasuke heard the pack open and the sound of Naruto shuffling through it, and when the werewolf spoke, he sounded a bit hurt. "It's just because I'm in heat."

"It's fine," Sasuke snapped. Naruto didn't say anything else. He tapped Sasuke's shoulder moments later and Sasuke tried not to glare at him as he turned, surprised to see Naruto fully clothed, the backpack sagging around his shoulder.

He was biting his lip, and then he said, "We should have Kakashi look at your shoulder."

Sasuke looked down at it, having almost forgotten he had been hurt. There was a smeared bit of drying blood where Naruto's tongue had trailed on his skin, and he felt his stomach climb higher into his throat.

"Are you okay?"

Sasuke considered answering, but wasn't sure what to say, so he remained silent. Naruto looked skeptical again, but a howl ripped through the forest, sending birds to the sky, and Naruto tugged him forward.

"Fight's over," Naruto explained. "Guess dad got his, and we got this one…" the corpse wasn't too far off and they both looked at it.

"It won't happen again," Naruto said after a moment, and at first, Sasuke thought he was talking about the creature collapsed on the ground. When they met eyes, Naruto looked vaguely guilty, yet determined. "I'm not sure why you're so upset, but I'll control myself around you so that it won't happen again."

"Upset?" Sasuke questioned, finally catching on to what Naruto was attempting to apologize for. He shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. "It's fine," he sighed, and then, in order to change the subject, asked, "Can you tell if Kiba caught one?"

Naruto stared at him, wide-eyed. "Kiba's here?"

"He was," Sasuke answered, but Naruto was already dragging him forward, his eyes sparkling, looking determined to find Kiba or his dad, or whichever came first. Sasuke secretly hoped they'd find Kakashi too, since his shoulder needed some care of its own.


End file.
